In
1950, Bangladesh teemed with 100 million people. Today, it overflows
with 144 million people. That might not be so bad, except for one
thing: Bangladesh endures that many people in a landmass not much
bigger than Ohio!

Dr.
Alan Kuper, a man I admire and respect, illustrates our accelerating
dilemma with metaphors that make sense. He reports from his web site:
“In the days of sailing ships, sailors used to leave goats on islands
as they passed to ensure fresh meat on return trips. It worked too
well. The animals bred faster than the sailors could eat them, and
from the Channel Islands off California to the Seychelles in the Indian
Ocean, goats ate all the vegetation and starved. The goats also screwed
up the environment so that native species couldn’t survive, either,"
said John Wenzel, director the Ohio State University Museum of Biological
Diversity. “For example, the goats stripped away the plants’ low-growing
leaves so that tortoises couldn’t find enough to eat.”

Biologists
explain the “lesson of the goats” as it applies to humans and point
out how our "island earth" suffers.

That
doesn’t account for millions of tons of coal, natural gas and wood
being burned every day by 6.6 billion humans.

"With
global warming, we’ve been able to create this problem in the first
place because we’ve had virtually free energy in the form of fossil
fuels," said Ohio State University ecologist Tom Waite.

Kuper
reported, “Climate change, Waite and others say, is a sign that we
are exceeding the number of people Earth can sustain. Every year,
at least 77 million humans are born in excess of those who die. That’s
1 billion people every 11 years. Some, however, argue that we are
adept at adapting, and point to increased agricultural production
and medical advances that fend off disease.”

Right
now, Earth’s carrying capacity is thought to be somewhere in the range
of four billion to five billion people. We sport 6.6 billion today
and grow by 240,000 every 24 hours. See www.populationmedia.org
to see the population ticker.

“In
biology, the carrying capacity usually refers to the number of animals
a given area can support with adequate food, shelter and territory
or the space to reproduce,” Kuper reported. “Duke University ecologist
Stuart Pimm said half of the world’s population has little access
to medicine, electricity, safe water and reliable food supplies.”

"When
you get to the nitty-gritty of the term, some animals are more equal
than others. Some countries are a lot more equal than others," Pimm
said. "You might have 50 billion, but the quality of life might not
be terribly pleasing. Rabbits are the same way. The key word is support."

“The
United States possesses resources to sustain less than half of its
current population of 300 million, according to ecologist Paul Ehrlich,
who first called attention to potential population problems in 1968
with his book, “The Population Bomb,” Kuper reported. “Waite and other
ecologists increasingly think of the idea of carrying capacity in
terms of an ecological "footprint," the amount of land on Earth that
it takes to support a group of people.”

Americans,
who make up five percent of the world’s population, use 25 percent
of its resources and cast a large footprint.

"Ohio’s
footprint is like 11 times the state of Ohio," Waite said. “The average
American’s footprint is about 22 acres. By far, the largest component
is energy. In contrast, the average citizen of India has a footprint
one-sixteenth that size.”

Kuper
reported, “If all 6 billion people were to share the world’s resources
equally, Americans would have to reduce consumption by 80 percent
for each of us to have a footprint of about 4.4 acres.”

“Waite
rides a bicycle most days. However, Waite’s footprint grows when he
arrives on campus or has to rent a car to attend a meeting out of
town,” Kuper reported.

"The
moment I show up at work, I suddenly violate the fair Earth share
and I become unsustainable. Carrying capacity and footprint are tied
to the global economy, which has quadrupled since the world’s population
doubled,” said Waite.

“That
leads to a fear that slowing population growth might not ultimately
curb greenhouse gas production if more people achieve Western lifestyles,”
said Barry Rabe, a University of Michigan political scientist who
studies environmental issues. “India and China are developing rapidly
and have already affected climate change. China is opening an average
of one coal-fired power plant a week to meet electricity demand. The
power plants emit carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.”

"Everyone
in China wants two things: their own apartment and their own car,"
Pimm said. "That change is going to have a massive effect on the planet."

Lester
Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute, said the sustainability
question is a loaded one, “"People ask me how many people the Earth
can sustain. I usually respond that it depends on whether you want
to live like an Indian or an American."

“For
example, farmers worldwide grow about two billion tons of grain every
year. Each American consumes an average of 1,760 pounds annually,
mainly because of the grains used to feed farm animals. If everyone
on the planet consumed that much grain,” Brown said. “Earth would
support about 2.5 billion people. But in India, people consume about
440 pounds each. If everyone else in the world did likewise, the world’s
grain would support about 10 billion people.”

Population,
water and food lock horns. Growing one ton of grain requires 1,000
tons of water. Water shortages already occur in Africa, Asia and the
Middle East. As water flows from agriculture to support growing urban
populations, more grain must be imported.

“Alternative
energy, touted as a possible solution to burning fossil fuels that
generate greenhouse gases, also adds a factor to the food equation,”
Kuper reported. “Soybeans are increasingly in demand for biodiesel.
And ethanol production now vies with food for corn. Brown estimates
that by 2008, half of the U.S. corn crop will go to ethanol.”

"Seventy
percent of all corn imports in the world come from the U.S., so what
happens to U.S. corn crops affects a lot of countries," Brown said.

Waite
said this competition for energy and food will change the landscape,
“If we were to replace our reliance on fossil fuels and instead grow
fuel plants that would require setting aside lots of land to produce
ethanol. We don’t have enough land worldwide to meet those demands.
Demand for food, fuel and materials already consumes more trees and
crops than are being grown worldwide.”

Waite
compares the issue to a bank account. “Humans are already drawing
on capital rather than interest, and once that is exhausted, they
will find Mother Nature reluctant to make a loan.”

For
more information concerning our future, contact Dr. Alan Kuper at
alankuper@earthlink.net.
As you surmise through this series on the next added 100 million Americans,
we’re crafting a mighty deep chasm for our children. Check out www.uscongress-enviroscore.org
for a greater understanding of what we face.

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As
you can see from the first part of this series, I showed you what
I’ve seen in the USA via my travels as well as my observations throughout
my journeys around the world. In latter portions of this series, you’re
hearing from the experts to verify what I have seen. We must connect
the dots, take action and prevent a horrible overpopulation future
for our children by taking action today. “We can bring about population
stabilization gracefully or nature will do it brutally.” Henry Kendell

What
you can do for a better future for your country:

A
republican form of government is not a spectator sport. It means
you must jump in, roll up you sleeves and take personal and collective
action. Of course, you could let a dictator take over and do everything
for you, but that path would give you Cuba, China, North Korea
and other unsavory examples.

To
stop Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid from giving an amnesty, take
action. Call for a full 10 year moratorium.

1,
America cannot support another 100 million people added to our
country in 34 years, i.e., water crisis, resource depletion, air
pollution, gridlock, loss of quality of life, etc. 2, America cannot support lawbreakers being given citizenship.
3, America must maintain our English language. 4, America wants only legal immigrants who play by the
rules and speak English. 5, America's working poor deserve a chance at jobs taken
by illegals 6, America already has too many people and I support a
10 year moratorium on all immigration. 7, Americans must maintain our schools for our children.
8, We can no longer tolerate 350,000 birthright citizens
(anchor babies) annually that subtract from our own citizens.
9, Attrition through enforcement by stopping their ability
to wire money home, obtain rental housing and jobs. 10, An amnesty failed in 1986, and it will only be worse
today. We're being displaced out of our jobs and out of our own
country. Call with relentless and never-give-up passion.

To
stop illegal aliens in your community, you may follow the course
of action by Mayor Louis Barletta of Hazelton, PA. He offers a
bomb proof ordinance that takes business licenses away from those
who hire illegals. He legally halts landlords from renting to
illegals. Without work and without housing, illegals cannot stay
in your community. Check out his web site for instructions: SmallTownDefenders.com

Wooldridge
presents a 45 minute program to colleges, high schools, civic
clubs, church groups and political clubs across America titled:
“COMING POPULATION CRISIS IN AMERICA: WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.”
Go to his website for further information on booking the program.
www.frostywooldridge.com

Frosty
Wooldridge possesses a unique view of the world, cultures and families
in that he has bicycled around the globe 100,000 miles, on six continents
and six times across the United States in the past 30 years. His published
books include: "HANDBOOK FOR TOURING BICYCLISTS" ; “STRIKE THREE! TAKE
YOUR BASE”; “IMMIGRATION’S UNARMED INVASION: DEADLY CONSEQUENCES”; “MOTORCYCLE
ADVENTURE TO ALASKA: INTO THE WIND—A TEEN NOVEL”; “BICYCLING AROUND THE
WORLD: TIRE TRACKS FOR YOUR IMAGINATION”; “AN EXTREME ENCOUNTER: ANTARCTIA.”
His next book: “TILTING THE STATUE OF LIBERTY INTO A SWAMP.” He lives
in Denver, Colorado.

In
1950, Bangladesh teemed with 100 million people. Today, it overflows with
144 million people. That might not be so bad, except for one thing: Bangladesh
endures that many people in a landmass not much bigger than Ohio!